Change in standards for desert grapes will facilitate packing clamshells
The Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on March 17 published in the Federal Register an interim final rule with request for comments for a change in the marketing order grade standards under the California Desert Grape Administrative Committee, which growers said will facilitate packing two-pound clamshells.
Colorful Harvest tops field at strawberry festival
Salinas, CA-based Colorful Harvest LLC won the blue ribbon for its flat of "Green Giant" brand fresh strawberries at the 2009 Florida Strawberry Festival held Feb. 26 to March 8 in Plant City, FL.
Colorful Harvest's strawberries were judged to be the best from among a field of 12 Florida strawberry growers based on the criteria of taste, uniformity, size, shape and color.
Doug Ranno, chief operating officer of Colorful Harvest, said that winning the blue ribbon is just more evidence that the company is a major player in the berry realm.
Washington gearing up for quality asparagus harvest
Asparagus growers in the state of Washington, which produces approximately 40 percent of all domestically grown product, are set to start cutting grass in mid-April. Alan Schreiber, administrator of the Washington Asparagus Commission in Eltopia, WA, expects production to be 28 million pounds for 2009.
IEO onion display contest winner picked
David Dozier, produce manager of GFF Foods in Moore, OK, took top honors in the third-annual Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Spanish Sweet Onion Lover's Month retail display contest.
With a giant poster overhead showing the committee's "Jumbo Onion" mascot lifting weights and proclaiming Spanish Sweets "battle blandness," GFF's January display showcased bags of yellow and white onions on an island in the produce department.
Creditors in Fleisher Produce Co. case suffer setback
PHILADELPHIA -- A judge ruled March 13 that assets in the name of Ellis Fleisher's wife are not available for creditors of Mr. Fleisher's defunct produce houses. But the court's decision may be appealed.
Mr. Fleisher owned Ellis Fleisher Produce Co. and Dichter Bros. & Glass Inc., both in Philadelphia. Both businesses ceased operations in March 2007.
Freeze hits Colorado fruit
While ski resorts and some farmers in Colorado rejoiced at late March snow and the moisture it brought, a number of fruit growers on the state's Western Slope were hit hard by back-to-back storms.
A March 27 freeze was particularly damaging to the Palisade, CO, region just east of Grand Junction, and another freeze hit just days later.
Donovan Talbott, partner in C&R Farms in Palisade, said that his apricot crop was completely wiped out, along with his cherries and nectarines.
"And I had quite a bit of pear damage," he said.
Tyler Paasch likes to keep things simple
Even though Dazed & Confused is among his favorite movies, Tyler Paasch is anything but. Mr. Paasch, the 28-year-old HACCP coordinator for Coastal Inc. in Portand, OR, lives by a guiding principle. "I keep things simple," he told The Produce News.
Trade rift with Mexico unsettling for Northwest shippers
Officials from the Pacific Northwest remain in a wait-and-see mode to determine what effect a 20 percent tariff imposed March 11 by the government of Mexico will have upon American exports. Among the commodities affected are pears, cherries, apricots and frozen potatoes.
No April fools at the ninth annual NEPC expo
BOSTON -- This year's New England Produce Council Produce & Floral expo took place on April Fools Day, and most attendees and exhibitors would probably agree that the real fools were those who did not attend.
Now in its ninth year, the expo, which took place here at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and played up April Fools Day with the theme of "Gotcha!" drew about 1,000 attendees and had 210 booths, according to Laura Sullivan, executive director of the council.
New MHAIA board looks to continue growth
Biennial elections for the Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association's board of directors took place March 25 at its bimonthly meeting in Irvine, CA.
Incoming Chairman Mike Browne is joined by Vice Chairman David Ruiz Vega, Secretary Giovanni Cavaletto, Treasurer Alfredo Rodriguez and Directors J. Jesus Lopez Herrera, Ed Figueroa, Aureliano Pena Esparza and Doug Meyer. Alternate board members are Ross Wileman, Mario Rivas Barrag?n, Avi Crane, Antonio Villase?or Zurita, Alejandro Alvarez del Toro, Jimmy Lotufo, Sergio Guerreo Urbina and Phil Henry.